Azure Cache for Redis
Azure Cache for Redis is a fully managed, in-memory data store that provides high throughput and low-latency access to your data. It's based on the popular open-source Redis project. This service enables you to build highly scalable and responsive applications by caching frequently accessed data, session state, and messages.
What is Azure Cache for Redis?
Azure Cache for Redis acts as a distributed in-memory cache. It sits between your application and your data stores (like databases) to reduce the load on those stores and dramatically improve response times. Common use cases include:
- Caching: Store frequently accessed database query results, API responses, or rendered HTML fragments.
- Session State Management: Store user session data for web applications, enabling seamless user experiences across distributed environments.
- Message Broker: Use Redis Pub/Sub features for real-time messaging between application components.
- Queuing: Implement simple job queues or task processing.
Getting Started with Azure Cache for Redis
Setting up Azure Cache for Redis is straightforward. You can provision a cache instance through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure Resource Manager templates.
Provisioning a Cache Instance
Follow these steps to create a new Azure Cache for Redis instance:
- Navigate to the Azure portal.
- Click on "Create a resource".
- Search for "Azure Cache for Redis" and select it.
- Click "Create".
- Fill in the required details: Subscription, Resource Group, Cache Name, Region, Pricing Tier, and Clustering settings.
- Review and create your cache instance.
Connecting to Your Cache
Once provisioned, you'll need connection strings to access your cache from your applications. You can find these in the "Access keys" section of your Redis cache resource in the Azure portal.
The primary connection string format is typically:
redis://:6379/?password= You can also use the secondary access key. For TLS/SSL enabled caches, the URL will start with `rediss://`.
Common Redis Commands
Azure Cache for Redis supports most of the standard Redis commands. Here are a few common ones:
SET key value: Assigns a value to a key.GET key: Retrieves the value of a key.EXPIRE key seconds: Sets a time to live (TTL) for a key.DEL key: Deletes a key.LPUSH list value: Pushes a value onto the head of a list.RPUSH list value: Pushes a value onto the tail of a list.LRANGE list start stop: Retrieves a range of elements from a list.
Advanced Features
- Clustering: For higher availability and scalability, consider enabling clustering.
- Replication: Configure read-only replicas for improved read performance and disaster recovery.
- Persistence: While primarily an in-memory store, Azure Cache for Redis offers persistence options to save data to disk.
- Data Persistence: Configure RDB or AOF persistence to save your cache data to Azure Storage.
Pricing Tiers
Azure Cache for Redis offers several pricing tiers to meet different performance and feature requirements, from the basic `Basic` tier for development and testing to the `Enterprise` and `Enterprise Flash` tiers for demanding production workloads. Each tier offers varying levels of throughput, memory, and features like clustering and persistence.
For detailed pricing information, refer to the official Azure pricing page.